Crystal Palace are reportedly set to reignite their interest in Arsenal defender Carl Jenkinson after the Eagles came close to snapping him up in January.
Having previously worked with Sam Allardyce at West Ham United, it appears as though the 25-year-old could be set for a reunion ahead of next season.
According to ESPN FC, Palace will make a new right-back a priority this summer and ‘Big Sam’ will look to try again after coming close a few months ago to reaching a deal with both Arsenal and the player himself.
An exit will make sense for all concerned as Jenkinson has struggled for playing time at the Emirates, with Hector Bellerin and even Gabriel ahead of him in the pecking order earlier in the season.
With the switch to a three-man defence and two wing-backs, it appears as though he’s fallen further down Arsene Wenger’s pecking order and a move elsewhere is needed to get his career on track.
Further, having been jeered by some Arsenal fans earlier in the season due to his disappointing performances, it’s difficult to see a way back for the England ace in north London.
Meanwhile, Mundo Deportivo report that Barcelona sporting director Robert Fernandez was in attendance at the Emirates on Sunday to watch Arsenal’s clash with Manchester United in order to take a closer look at Hector Bellerin.
Despite knowing that the Spaniard wouldn’t start as part of the switch to a 3-4-3 system, he still travelled as per the report and watched him in action for the last five minutes or so.
The right-back position has been a real problem for the Catalan giants this season after they failed to adequately replace Dani Alves, and so moving for their former youth star would make plenty of sense as he continues to sit on the bench.
Nevertheless, he still surely has an important role to play in north London moving forward and Arsenal will do their part to fend off Barca and force them to look elsewhere.